Of Pudding and a Bounty Hunter
by Scarlet Rurouni
Summary: COMPLETE & Chapterized! {Spoiler Warning} VashMeryl Vash returns from his fight with Knives, Millie leaves in search of pudding, enter the bounty hunter... Lot's of VM Fluffiness!
1. Prologue

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding and a Bounty Hunter

**Prologue**

Vash the Stampede glared at the bounty hunter through amber-tinted sunglasses, daring him to try and shoot just one more time. The bounty hunter simply stood there, frozen to the floor, unable to tear his gaze away from the fearsome eyes of the diablo. He. Was. Dead. He could feel it, and it was all because he had made one stupid mistake: He had pissed off, Vash the Stampede.

"You bastard" Vash growled, reaching for the .45 long colt revolver, still unused in its holster at his side. The bounty hunter took what he was sure would be his last breath as the Humanoid Typhoon took aim. "Be sure and tell Legato that Vash says 'hi'." Four shots ripped through the bounty hunter's body in rapid succession, having been squeezed off so quickly that they sounded like a single bullet. Vash the Stampede stood in front of him, smoking gun still leveled at his rapidly weakening form. And then, the world went dark.


	2. Chapter 1

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding And A Bounty Hunter

**Chapter 1**

Previously…

__

Vash the Stampede stood in front of him, smoking gun still leveled at his rapidly weakening form. And then, the world went dark.

***Flashback***

Vash opened the door to the small house that he had shared with the girls before he left to find his brother. "They really should learn to lock their doors" he muttered, smiling despite the girls' apparent carelessness. Taking a deep breath he called out, his voice reaching every corner of every room in the house. "Hey Insurance Girls! I'm back!"

A high-pitched squeal was heard from the vicinity of the kitchen, followed by rapid pounding footsteps that were headed towards the front door where he stood, just inside the doorframe. Less than a second later, Millie, the larger of the two Insurance Girls, appeared before him.

"Mr.Vashyou'reback!Merylwillbesohappytoseeyou!Ohisthatyourbrother?Whydon'tyoucomein?"

He blinked. _how the hell does she do that?? _After a moment of standing, dumbfounded, in the doorway, he was able to decipher what the Insurance Girl had so quickly rattled off well enough to reply while he stepped into the house. "Yeah, this is Knives alright" he said, indicating the comatose mass slung over his shoulder. "You mind if I put him down somewhere? He's kinda heavy."

"Why, Mr. Vash, you look like you carried him all the way here by yourself!" Millie said, completely oblivious to his last statement. Vash nearly fell over. _For being so smart, she sure doesn't act like it!_ he thought with a grin. "Yeah I did! So… can I put him down?" Now it was Millie's turn to blink. "Oh right! Here! let me do that for you, you look really tired." Before Vash had a chance to protest, Millie had lifted Knives off his shoulder and on to her own, carrying him down the hall to the room that had belonged to Vash. At this, Vash simply smiled and sat down at the kitchen table, removing his signature red coat and glasses as he did so. Had he not known the girl, such a display of strength would have surprised him, but his former travels with the two Insurance Girls had taught him otherwise. In fact, he supposed that Millie was probably the only other person on all of Gunsmoke who could lift Wolfwood's Cross Punisher single handedly, besides the priest himself. Even Vash had had a little a little trouble lifting it when he used it in his fight with Knives. of course, he had just been shot…

"So Mr. Vash, are you here to stay this time?" Millie asked as she returned to the kitchen, a hopeful look displayed on her face. Vash smiled, a real smile this time, not the kind that Wolfwood had always said it hurt to look at. He had thought a lot about if he would stay with the girls while he was walking through the desert with Knives on his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess I am" was all he had to say for Millie to instantly light up with happiness. "That's great Mr. Vash! I can't wait to tell Meryl!"

At this, Vash tried desperately not to let the big girl see just how insanely happy the mere mention of her name made him. "Oh right… um, where is that Insurance Girl, anyway?" he questioned, trying to keep his voice from betraying just how much he had missed her. "Meryl? She's at work right now, but I think she should be home any minute…" she said to the outlaw in a tone of voice that practically screamed 'I-know-how-much-you-want-to-see-her-again-so-don't-even-try-to-hide-it!' "I'm sure when she gets home she'll want to celebrate! She's been acting so sad since you left. OH! We could have pudding!!!"

This time, Vash really **did** fall over, hitting the floor with a heavy 'thud!', stunned by the comment Millie had so casually made and then cast aside with thoughts of pudding. _She's been sad because I left??_ The possible meanings of such a statement ran rampant through his head until he mentally slapped himself, recalling Millie's exact words. _Idiot, she's been sad **since** you left, not **because** you left! But, still..._ He didn't have much time to ponder this as Millie's concerned cries snapped him out of his reverie. "Mr. Vash! Are you alright?" He looked up at the big girl from his position on the floor rather sheepishly, "Oh. Er... eh heh heh…" he laughed, placing one hand behind his head in a nervous gesture, trying to come up with a feasible excuse for what just happened. "I… uh…"

"Oh! You must be **really** tired from carrying Mr. Knives all that way!" Once again, Vash found himself thanking whatever deity existed for Millie's uncanny ability to completely miss the obvious. "You should go lay down! I'll make you some tea…" she said, helping the gunman off the floor. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that. I'm fine, really! I just-"

"I'm home!" Meryl's voice resounded throughout the walls of the house as she stopped just inside the front door to hang up her cloak, expecting to hear the familiar sounds of Millie making dinner. She paused for a moment, slightly worried by the lack of noisy clatter emanating from the kitchen, and for just a moment, thought that something might be wrong. Temporarily pushing the thought aside, she began to move towards the kitchen. "Millie, why haven't you…" she stopped as she reached the doorway into the kitchen, unable to finish her question as she voice failed at the sight before her. There, in the kitchen, stood Millie, smiling happily and bouncing up and down with excitement. And standing just left of her, his signature red coat on the table next to his glasses, staring back at her with a look that must have mirrored her own look of sheer joy, was Vash the Stampede. The most wanted outlaw on all of Gunsmoke, with a bounty of $$60 billion on his head, dead or alive, and he was standing in her kitchen.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Meryl noticed that he had been shot, recently, and hadn't bothered to take care of his wounds past wiping away the dried blood. He looked tired and worn from what had to have been an impossibly long trek across the desert, but as far as Meryl was concerned, he had never looked better in all the time she had known him. When Meryl finally found her voice again, all she managed to stutter was "Vash… you're back…" before her breath escaped her and her vocal chords stopped working. Millie, on the other hand, still had full use of _her_ voice, and stood next to Vash, clapping her hands excitedly. 

"OhlookMeryl!Mr.Vashcamebackjustlikeyousaid!Didn'tItellyoushe'dbehappytoseeyouagainMr. Vash?NowwecanallgooutandcelebrateandhavepuddingandOH! I wonder if they'll have chocolate?"

Meryl and Vash stopped staring at each other and transferred their gazes to Millie simultaneously thinking _how the hell did she manage to say that all in one breath when she was jumping up and down??_ Sure, she had stopped jumping now, but that was only because she was pondering the possibility of having chocolate pudding in the very near future. Meryl just shook her head, deciding it was best not to worry about things she'd never quite understand anyway. She turned back to Vash, "So? Where is he?"

"He's asleep in the back room. I don't think he'll wake up any time soon, I hurt him pretty badly… Wait I minute! I never told you Knives is here! How'd you know??"

Meryl scoffed, "Please, do you honestly expect me to believe for a even one minute that you'd leave him out in the middle of nowhere to either die or recover enough to come after you again?" She rolled her eyes at the absurdity of such a statement. "Right. That's like saying that one day you'll get sick of donuts and switch to gruel."

"**NEVER!!!**" Vash exclaimed, horrified by the mere thought. Meryl smirked, _yup. He's the same old Vash alright._ Frowning, Meryl had the distinct feeling that she was forgetting something important. She looked over at Vash, and as she did she suddenly remembered what it was.

_He's hurt._ She knew he would never have told them that, it would be just like him to hide such a thing from the girls, not wanting them to worry about him. _Still, he needs to learn to take better care of himself, if he's not going to let us do it for him that is,_ she thought with a rueful grin. Just as she was about to lecture him on the virtues of carrying around a first aid kit, she caught a brief flicker of a movement just to the right of Vash. "What is it Millie?" she asked without turning to look at her partner, just slightly annoyed.

"Meryl, pudding…" Millie whimpered with a pleading look on her face. Meryl groaned, how could she say no to that? "Oh… alright! But first Vash needs to get cleaned up so I can dress his wounds and **then**, we can go get pudding…" she sighed resignedly.

Vash however, was not going down without a fight. "Hey, I'm fine! And how'd you know I was shot anyway?" he wondered aloud, as he had made sure to at least conceal the bullet holes in his clothes before tramping off to find the girls. "Your shirt's in covered in blood" she stated, matter-of-factly. "What? How the hell can you see blood on a black shirt??" By this time, Vash was thoroughly confused, though quite happily so, as it meant that his favorite Insurance Girl at least cared enough to notice when he was injured. "Just quit whining and come on!" Meryl exclaimed exasperated as she shoved him towards the bathroom so he could clean up and she could fetch bandages. "Alright already! Geez, you don't have to shove me so hard! I'm an injured man, remember??"

~~~*~~~

As soon as Meryl had taken care of Vash's injuries, they walked down the street to the local bar. Vash stood out front with a puzzled look on his face, "They have pudding, in a BAR??" Meryl just laughed, "Well, they didn't used to, but ever since we got to this village, Millie's been their best customer, so the owner always makes sure he keeps some in stock, just for her." Vash shook his head; it figured that the big girl would be able to find pudding wherever she goes. However, it seemed that Millie's luck had run out.

"Whadda you mean, 'you don't have chocolate'??" Millie yelled at the bartender. "Calm down Millie. Look, you can have chocolate tomorrow. They still have vanilla, why not have that?" Meryl said hopefully, trying to soothe her partner. "But Meryl… Chocolate!" the big girl whined.

Meryl turned to the bartender, "Excuse me, but is there anywhere else we can find pudding in this village?" he gave her an apologetic look, "No ma'am, the nearest place would be in LR Town, about 500 iles from here." Meryl looked back at her partner, who was now on the verge of tears, the prospect of chocolate pudding swiftly fading. "Millie… I **really** don't want to ride all the way into LR Town just for-"

"You don't have too! I can go by myself and you and Mr. Vash can stay here and rest! _Please Meryl???_" Meryl looked at Millie, then at Vash, and then back at Millie. She sighed, knowing that she couldn't leave Vash alone with his brother in his current state, but also knowing that Millie would torment her endlessly until she got her precious pudding. "FINE! Go! Just… be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry Meryl, I'll be fine!" Millie yelled happily as she ran out the door. Meryl slumped onto a barstool, ordering the usual. "Hey, you look kinda tired Insurance Girl, you alright?" Vash asked as he took a seat on the stool next to her. Meryl sighed into her drink and dismissed his concern with a tired wave of her hand. "I'm just tired. Long day" she muttered. "Maybe you should-"

Vash never did get the chance to finish that sentence.

**End Flashback**


	3. Chapter 2

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding And A Bounty Hunter

**Chapter 2**

Previously:

__

Vash never did get the chance to finish that sentence.

**End Flashback**

"Meryl! MERYL!" Vash cried out desperately, turning to the insurance girl's injured form as soon as the unconscious mass called the bounty hunter hit the floor. True, for perhaps the first time in his life, Vash had actually _wanted_ to kill someone. Hell, it had taken all his strength to keep him from breaking his vow, but the bounty hunter was still alive. Though at the moment, Vash wasn't sure he could say the same for his Insurance Girl. _That bastard deserves worse than death for this, _Vash thought grimly as he pushed up Meryl's shirt just far enough to get a good look at the wound in her stomach. _If she's not okay..._ "You had better start praying" Vash muttered to the bounty hunter's still unconscious form.

They had been sipping their drinks, just starting what could've have become a meaningful conversation, when that damned bounty hunter had burst in, practically declaring war on the peace-loving outlaw, who had been sitting at the bar in his red coat and glasses. While the bartender and all his patrons had managed to escape safely once the shooting began, Meryl had absolutely refused to leave.

**Flashback**

"You can't fight him like this right now! You'll only wind up tearing all the wounds you got in your fight with Knives!!" she had hissed at him while they escaped rapid gunfire by ducking behind the bar.

"Well what am I supposed to do then??" _Please Meryl, don't be thinking what I think you're thinking…_

"Leave! I'll hold him off while you go get the sheriff!" she had told him, just before popping up from behind the bar just long enough to fire off a few derringers.

_Shit! I **knew** that's what you were thinking! _he mentally screamed at her. "Like Hell!!! Are you crazy Insurance Girl?? You'll get yourself killed!!!!"

**End Flashback**

And now, here she was, lying unconscious on the barroom floor in a pool of her own blood. "Dammit Meryl!" he muttered as he examined the bullet hole in her abdomen. "You didn't need to do that, I would've been fine!" He was lying, and he knew it. If she hadn't jumped in front of him when she had, he'd be dead now; most likely, she would be too, as he doubted the bounty hunter would have left witnesses. 

He did a quick mental run through of all the medical knowledge he had, which was actually pretty good, considering how many times he'd been shot, stabbed, etc. himself. "The bullet went clean through, missed all the vital organs…" he sighed. She'd lost a lot of blood, but she would be fine. "You're lucky she's still alive" he growled again to the bounty hunter, knowing that the man had regained consciousness by now, though he wouldn't be able to move for quite some time; not with the injuries he'd sustained. Vash began bandaging Meryl as best he could, uses some supplies he'd found behind the bar, knowing that the sheriff would most likely show up soon, and unless he wanted to go to jail, they would need to be out of the bar by then. _Too bad we can't leave town, what with the big girl gone…_

"I'm… still alive?" the bounty hunter asked no one in particular, his voice hoarse form the intense pain he was experiencing. Vash snorted, "No, you're dead. You've died and gone to heaven." After what felt like an eternity to the timeless gunslinger, Vash finished bandaging Meryl, and moved, albeit grudgingly, over to the bounty hunter to give him the same treatment.

"What the hell are you doing?? Stay away from me!" the bounty hunter cried out in fear, thinking for sure this time Vash the Stampede was going to do him in for good. "I'm afraid I can't do that!" Vash replied with his ever present 'but-I'm-innocent!' grin. "Huh?" the bounty hunter wondered, "Why the hell not??"

Vash simply shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. Such language! What would your mother say?" Stunned, the bounty hunter finally shut up. Now able to go about his task unhindered, Vash quickly finished his work on the bounty hunter and turned back to Meryl. Just as he was gently picking her up so that he could carry her back to the house, where he would have a chance to make thoroughly sure she was alright, the sheriff walked in, followed by a small group of deputies.

"Hold it right there pal. I'm going to want to ask you a few questions about this whole incident." he said, in a voice Vash interpreted as meaning, 'give-me-one-good-reason-NOT-to-lock-you-up'. _Uh-oh…_

"That's him sheriff! That's the one that destroyed my bar!!" a small elderly man yelled running into what was left of the main room in the bar. "Which one? The tall guy or the one on the floor?" the sheriff asked the bar owner, waving his hand in the general direction of the two suspects. "What tall guy?"

"Huh?" The sheriff turned back to where not a moment before, Vash the Stampede had been standing over the still present form of the bounty hunter, a small woman cradled in his arms. "I coulda sworn there was someone there a minute ago…" he muttered scratching his head.


	4. Chapter 3

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding And A Bounty Hunter

**Chapter 3**

Previously:

__

"Huh?" The sheriff turned back to where not a moment before, Vash the Stampede had been standing over the still present form of the bounty hunter, a small woman cradled in his arms. "I coulda sworn there was someone there a minute ago…" he muttered scratching his head.

~~~*~~~

Vash shut the front door behind him as he carried Meryl into the small house, heading for her room in the back. Once there, he laid he gently down on the bed, careful not to aggravate her injuries, and did his best to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. Though it was fairly hard for him to gauge her comfort as she wasn't even conscious yet. Having done that, he sighed a small sigh of relief, and repeated what had now become his mantra ever since that insufferable bounty hunter had burst into the bar; _She'll be fine, she **will** be fine… she has to be…_ Shaking his head to rid himself of morbid thoughts, he left the room for a moment to retrieve more bandages, a bottle of painkillers, and a glass of water. Carefully, he redressed Meryl's injuries properly, using the new bandages he had just fetched from the bathroom.

Sitting her up carefully, he softly called to her. "Meryl… Meryl… you have to wake up now. Come on Insurance Girl, get up!" Meryl didn't move an inch. She wasn't giving Vash any signs that she heard him, and he was becoming increasingly worried. "Meryl! MERYL! WAKE UP! Please!"

Meryl groaned, someone was yelling in her ear and it was not a very nice way to wake up after being shot. _Wait a minute… I was shot? Oh crap…_ It's not that she was worried about her own well being, on the contrary, she reasoned that if she was getting annoyed by someone yelling in her ear then she was obviously on the road to recovery. Actually, what had her worried was her last memories of the fight in the bar. Vash had been pinned down in the corner on the floor, having tripped over a fallen chair. That blasted bounty hunter was standing over him, about to shoot when… _oh… so **that's** what happened, _she thought to herself as soon as she was able to sort out her jumbled thoughts. "-eryl! MERYL! WAKE UP! Please!"

"Ow…" she muttered, "do you really need to shout?" she brought one hand up to her head, cradling her throbbing temple with one hand, while steadying herself in a sitting position with the other. "Meryl! You're awake! You had me worried for a minute there" she heard the voice say to her, this time not quite as loud as before. "Ungh. Sorry" she muttered, still trying to figure out where she was and who she was with. Gingerly, she opened one eye, expecting to see Millie or maybe one of the townspeople; instead, she was actually surprised by the scene before her, though she had the fleeting thought that there really nothing surprising about it. "Vash??"

Vash smiled, relieved, she really was going to be alright. "Yeah, you're in your room. I brought you back here before the sheriff had a chance to get a good look at me, so we should be safe. " Meryl just continued to stare at him incredulously. "What?" he asked, perplexed as to why she would be giving him such a look.

"You didn't…" she trailed off, dumbfounded, and yet wondering why. "I didn't what?" Vash prompted her, just as confused as she seemed to be. "You didn't call me 'Insurance Girl'" she whispered, still not quite believing it. She had known Vash for a few years now, and not once in all that time had he _ever_ used her given name. She gave a small laugh, "You know, I was beginning to believe that you didn't even know my name."

Vash suddenly became very nervous, he hadn't meant to drop the nickname, but he was just so worried about her that it must have slipped out. "Uh yeah, well… It's not like I don't know your name… I can go back to Insurance Girl if you want…" For once, the great and powerful Vash the Stampede, couldn't think of a decent cover.

"NO! I mean, er… I don't mind. I'd actually prefer you called me Meryl anyway. I don't why it took you this long to drop the nickname, actually. I mean, we've known each for awhile now, and we are friends, right?"

Vash froze, nearly blown away by her words. Not because he had never considered Meryl a friend, just, he had never hoped to believe that she thought the same of him. What with the way they constantly bickered and fought with each other for almost no reason. Granted, he had good reason to fight with her, as much as he hated to do it; he **needed** to keep her distanced from himself. He could never allow anyone to get close. _"Everyone I'm close to… they all die…" _he had told her once. He cared about her far too much to let that happen, and so he distanced himself from her, thinking that she would be safest if she hated him. But here she was, sitting before him completely unguarded, asking him for friendship.

"Of course we're friends Meryl" he said softly, feeling as though if he were to speak any louder the world would shatter around them and the moment would be lost forever. 

Meryl smiled through her relief. She had always told herself that no matter what, she would always be there for him, even if he didn't want her to be. Still, she had never even dared imagine that he thought of her as _his_ friend, indeed she had thought just the opposite. She had always believed that he thought of her and Millie as just an annoying pair or Insurance Girls, who wouldn't leave him alone despite his best efforts. of course, she knew that her habit of fighting with him constantly probably did help any either, but still, she was glad to know that she at least had his friendship.

"Good. Then you can just call me Meryl from now on, okay?" Though she was still smiling, she winced, as the pain of her injuries was beginning to catch up with her. She continued to keep up her smile, nonetheless, hoping he wouldn't notice and worry over it.

He noticed. "Here, take these…" he said concernedly as he handed her a pair of painkillers and the glass of water he had brought with him to her bedside.

She swallowed them quickly, grateful for his foresight, though she began to feel a little dizzy. _Maybe I'll just take a short nap… _was the last thing she thought before passing out again.

As she began to fall backwards towards the edge of the bed, he quickly caught her and gently laid her back down on her soft pillow. He sighed, wishing she had stayed awake just a little bit longer…

He shook his head. Thoughts like that would get him nowhere. As he gazed at her sleeping form, a small smile crept up on him. _At least she doesn't hate me…_ With that, he retrieved a pair of chairs from the kitchen table, plus an extra blanket, and created a makeshift bed next to hers, so that he could keep an eye on her and be there when she woke up should she need anything.


	5. Chapter 4

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding And A Bounty Hunter

**Chapter 4**

Previously:

__

He shook his head. Thoughts like that would get him nowhere. As he gazed at her sleeping form, a small smile crept up on him. At least she doesn't hate me… With that, he retrieved a pair of chairs from the kitchen table, plus an extra blanket, and created a makeshift bed next to hers, so that he could keep an eye on her and be there when she woke up should she need anything.

~~~*~~~

Meryl woke up a few hours later, the pain completely gone, thanks to the painkillers she had taken earlier. Looking out the window, she saw that it was still dark out, most likely far too early in the morning for her to even consider waking up. Looking around the room, she saw Vash, asleep in what appeared to be a rather uncomfortable position. He was half-sitting, slouched, in one chair, while he rested his feet on the edge of another opposite the first, a blanket draped over his lanky form. He was gorgeous, even if he was covered in…

She literally smacked herself quite soundly in the forehead. "Moron…" she muttered with a shake of her head.

Vash opened one eye curiously, as he hadn't really been sleeping in the first place. "What?"

Meryl glared at him. "Why you never bother to take care of yourself is beyond me. Get over here so I re-bandage your wounds. Honestly…"

Vash sighed, she was right, he never did bother to take care of himself. But that was because he figured it didn't really matter if he lived, so long as she was alright. With the tiniest semblance of a wince, he got up and walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge with his back to her. He had once again removed his coat and glasses, doing that before he 'went to bed', and handed her the remaining bandages from when he had taken care of her.

"Shirt" she demanded simply, wondering why he hadn't removed it in the first place. How did he expect her to patch him up if he kept it on?

Wincing just a bit more, he gingerly removed his shirt, exposing his scarred form to her for the umpteenth time. She had told him once that she wouldn't run away, and true to her word, she never had. No matter how many times he came to her full of bullet holes, she always patched him up again like she did it every day.

Having finished replacing the bandages, she moved to get up off the bed so that she could retrieve painkillers for _him_, knowing that if she had been in that much pain from just _one_ gunshot wound, he had to be in much worse shape from the four he had gotten from Knives.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her back into a sitting position on the bed. "You really shouldn't get up yet" he admonished her. Forgetting about his shirt for the moment, he stood up, turning to face her. "What did you need?"

She answered by simply pointing at the bottle of pills and the empty water glass. picking it up, he went to the kitchen and filled the glass, then handed both it and the bottle of pills to her upon his return. She shook her head, gently pushing the offered items back towards him. "They're for you. I don't need anymore right now." Now it was his turn to shake his head. "I don't need them either."

She snorted, "Oh, so I guess getting shot in the chest four times doesn't hurt the almighty Vash the Stampede at all, huh?"

He frowned, she was mocking him, and it was kind of cute, though slightly annoying. "I don't need pills" he stated simply, placing the glass and bottle back on the small table near her bed.

"Fine" she sighed, frustrated. If he wasn't going to take the pills, the least she could do was help him forget about how much pain he was in, even for a little while. "Sit" she commanded, patting a spot on the bed.

He hesitated, suddenly very wary of what she might do to him for not taking the pills like she had told him too. Plus, Meryl had certainly found reason to hit him over lesser things… Cautiously, he sat down on the bed where she had indicated, as he realized that the particular tone of voice se had used meant that he didn't have a choice in the matter. "What are you going to-" his breath caught in his throat at her gentle touch.

She lightly ran the tips of her fingers over his still bare back, tracing his scars, both old and new, trying to decide where she could work without hurting him. With a small sigh, realizing that she didn't' have much room to work with, she placed two fingers from each hand and her thumbs, and began to gently massage the point where his shoulders and neck connected in small, lazy circles, working her thumbs up and down his spine from the base of his head to his shoulders as she did so.

Vash shuddered involuntarily at the wonderful sensations that now coursed through his body, overtaking the pain he had felt a moment before. Relaxing under her touch, he suddenly realized just how tired her really was, and slowly began to fall back against Meryl's petite frame, despite his best efforts to stay upright.

Meryl smiled, he was finally relaxing. Ever so slightly, she began to push a little deeper into the tissue, all the while gently pulling him back against her, until he was fully braced against her front, allowing him to completely release all his tension.

Giving up his loosing battle to stay in an upright position, Vash sighed contentedly. He enjoyed being so close to Meryl, and even more than that, he enjoyed the fact that she had been the one to suggest such a thing, even though he hadn't really had much say in the matter. He closed his eyes, wanted to remember this for years to come, knowing that she'd probably never let him get this close to her again.

Meryl gradually slowed her fingers as Vash's breathing became slow and even, showing her that he was falling asleep. Once she was convinced that he really _was_ asleep, she stopped completely and gazed down at the outlaw's slumbering form. He was irresistibly adorable and peaceful sleeping in her lap like that. Resisting the urge to reach down and give him a quick kiss on the cheek, much like a loving mother would kiss her child goodnight, she gently slipped out from underneath him, laying him fully down on the bed as she did so. With a last glance over her shoulder at the man she loved, she stood up and began to walk over to the makeshift bed he had been sleeping in himself only moments before.

She got as far as placing one foot halfway in front of the other before she found herself being pulled back into a sitting position on the edge of her bed where Vash was, apparently, **not** asleep.

"Where are you going?" he muttered drowsily, having rolled over so that he was face down on her pillow, still keeping a firm yet gentle grip on her wrist.

"To bed. Where else would I go?"

"But your bed's over here…" he mumbled, still teetering on the edge of dreams and reality.

Meryl looked at him quizzically, "But you're in my bed and there's no way I'm going to let you go back to sleeping on those chairs again" she said with a tone that meant, 'even **think** about going back to those chairs and I'll kill you'. She was determined to let him get a good night's sleep for once, as she had always had the feeling that he never really slept, always needing to be partially awake just in case someone tried to attack him at a time when he would be most vulnerable. "So if you'll excuse me, I'll just go over there and get some sleep." Her voice offered no room for argument. Of course, the one thing Meryl failed to realize was that she _could_ go sleep in Millie's bed; whenever she left to go find pudding she didn't some back for days. Meryl assumed it was because she would be buying the shopkeepers out of house and home. However, the thought of leaving Vash alone for even a few hours so that they could both sleep in a decent bed never entered her mind. She got up once again, determined to sleep on the chairs.

"I never said I wanted to sleep on the chairs again…" he muttered slightly more awake than before.

Meryl blinked. She didn't know how it happened, but somehow she had wound up back on her bed, lying next to Vash, covers thrown over her. Somehow, she reasoned, Vash must have pulled her back down and flipped her so that she landed in her current position, which, having seen how he moved while he was dodging bullets didn't seem all _that_ impossible to her, but what she couldn't figure out was how in the heck he managed to throw the blankets over her while his left hand was pinned beneath him and his right was occupied with pulling her wrist.

"G'night Meryl…" he yawned, relinquishing his hold on her wrist so that he could roll onto his back in a more comfortable position.

As soon as she was done being stunned by his actions, Meryl found the strength to glare at him for a few minutes, before giving up on the whole thing with a sigh. This was yet another argument she wouldn't be winning…


	6. Chapter 5

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding And A Bounty Hunter

**Chapter 5**

Previously:

__

As soon as she was done being stunned by his actions, Meryl found the strength to glare at him for a few minutes, before giving up on the whole thing with a sigh. This was yet another argument she wouldn't be winning…

~~~*~~~

About an hour later, Meryl found herself lying awake, unable to give in to the drowsy feeling that had long ago overtaken her senses. There she was, lying in the same bed as the one man on all of Gunsmoke that she was so desperately in love with, and she couldn't sleep. Not that she didn't understand _why_ she couldn't sleep, oh no, she knew exactly why. But she also knew that in order to solve her problem, she'd have to do something that she was sure would only wind up in an awkward situation in the morning. Frustrated, she tried to think of a way around her problem, but couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. Giving up, she looked over at Vash to make sure he was truly asleep this time. _Well, even if he's not I can always pretend that I am and say I was dreaming when we get up in the morning…_ With that last thought, Meryl shifted closer to Vash, so that she was resting against him in the same way she would is he were holding her. There. She had solved her problem. Before sleep overtook her, she gave in to one tiny smile…

Vash however, _was _awake. He hadn't been able to sleep either, feeling many of the same torturous emotions as Meryl, though he didn't know it. When she shifted over closer to him, he assumed she must be asleep, perhaps dreaming of someone she cared for deeply, and in her dreams mistook him for the lucky man that she really wanted. Faced with a slightly awkward position, Vash realized how this would look when Meryl woke up in the morning, and for a moment wondering how loudly she would call him a pervert before resuming his debate of what to do. Normally, the choice wouldn't have been so hard, all he had to do was gently move her back over to her own side, but she was just so damn comfortable… _Oh hell…_ he thought as he wrapped his arms around her, deciding that if she yelled at him for it in the morning he'd just claim he had been asleep…

~~~*~~~

"I'm home!!!" Millie's boisterous cry rang throughout the house late in the afternoon of the next day. Having decided that it was too dark to make the return trip home, Millie had spent the night in a hotel in LR Town, and then began her trip back sometime that morning, her quest for pudding fulfilled. "Meryl! I brought you and Mr. Vash some pudding from the store! There's chocolate and vanilla and strawberry too!" Millie happily deposited the said items in the kitchen, and began to wonder why no one was answering her calls. Deciding to search out her friends, she made her way to Meryl's room first, thinking that perhaps the smaller woman had slept in a little later than usual. "Meryl? I'm ho…" Millie's voice happily decided to stop working just as she poked her head in the door and beheld what was perhaps the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. There, in Meryl's bed, was Vash the Stampede, his arms wrapped protectively and gently around none other than Meryl Stryfe, both still sleeping contentedly. The look on Millie's face was ecstatic that had they been awake Meryl and Vash would have wondered how Millie managed to see straight through all of her smiling. As quickly and quietly as possible, Millie slipped out of the room and shut the door. "Well it's about time…" she muttered heading back to the kitchen to devour more pudding before checking on Mr. Knives.


	7. Chapter 6

****

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Probably a few pretty major ones by the time this is finished too! ^_^x

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, so I own a few stuffed animals from my early childhood days, but other than that, I own nothing.

****

A/N: Ummmmm, yeah. This has been bugging me to write it for over two months now, so I did.

**Flashback** is pretty self-explanatory

as is **End Flashback**

However, ~~~*~~~ means a scene change without coming out of/going into a flashback

On with the fic…

****

Of Pudding And A Bounty Hunter

**Chapter 6**

Previously:

__

"Well it's about time…" she muttered heading back to the kitchen to devour more pudding before checking on Mr. Knives.

~~~*~~~

By the time either of the two invalids woke up, the day had passed and it was once again pitch black outside, with only a few stars and the moon to offer any light in the small room where they lay. Crickets chirped happily, as if they were celebrating something that hadn't even occurred to Vash and Meryl yet, and the wind blew soft and warm across the desert, gently beginning to nudge them awake. Millie had long since gone to bed, after checking on Knives throughout the day to make sure he was still as comatose as ever. She really hoped he wouldn't wake up for awhile to give Vash and Meryl time to adjust to the changes Millie was sure would take place before he entered back into their lives and created havoc once again. 

For the first time since, well, since she couldn't remember when, Meryl woke up feeling rested, happy, warm, and, most importantly, safe. She had never really felt safe when she woke up before. Granted, she had never felt paranoid either, but se had never had that wonderful feeling that told you if you closed your eyes and just stayed in that position you'd never have to worry about another thing as long as you lived. **That** is what Meryl felt as she began to awaken, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. _Well, let's see… is anything different? _she wondered before opening her eyes. _Hmm, I'm in my own bed, I've got my pillow, no one's trying to wake me up, there's a warm pair of arms wrapped around me, WAIT! I know! I must've used an extra blanket! _Meryl smiled, safe in her conclusion, and snuggled deeper into her bed so she could go back to sleep. Just as she was about to nod off again…

_WHAT THE HELL??? _Her eyes snapped open, suddenly remembering what she had overlooked in her previous tally of what was making her feel so wonderful this… night? As her eyes quickly adjusted to her surroundings, she let out a small, very surprised gasp. Vash was still slumbering happily next to her, his arms wrapped securely around her, while she had been sleeping almost on top of the infamous outlaw, her hands braced against his still bare chest. For a fleeting moment, Meryl wondered what it would be like to wake up like this everyday, but she quickly dismissed the notion, knowing that if Vash woke up with the two of them in this position he'd be disgusted. _God, please don't let him wake up yet!_ she prayed, hoping for the time she needed to extract herself from his grasp.

Just then, she had a thought, why **did** he have his arms around her anyway? Shaking her head, she realized that he must have been asleep, dreaming of some woman he deeply cared for. Rem, knowing Meryl's luck. Sighing, she continued her silent prayer that Vash not awaken, and she began to remove herself from his gentle grip.

Apparently, whatever deity was watching decided to completely ignore Meryl's pleas, for just then Vash woke up, only to find Meryl trying to escape from his embrace. His first thought was that Meryl must have woken up just a moment before him, and finding herself in such a position, had been repelled by him and decided that she wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Blushing furiously at his own stupidity, he released her as fast as he could. "Sorry," he muttered weakly, wishing she cared for him as much as he did for her, "I must've been dreaming or something I guess…" he offered lamely.

Meryl was shocked, partially by the fact that he had actually woken up right when she most needed him to be asleep, but mostly be the sad and dejected look on his face. It was almost as though he wished he hadn't woken up to find her pulling away from him. Shaking her head to dismiss the thought and reinforce her words, Meryl decided to tell him the truth, for once. "I don't mind…"

Vash's eyes widened at the small voice coming from he woman he loved, _she doesn't mind?? But then why was she…_

"Why?" was all he managed to say, stunned and surprised by her earlier confession.

Meryl turned her gaze towards the floor, eyes downcast, no longer able to look at him as she decided that now was the time for her to tell him everything, just as she had promised Millie after he left. "I thought you must have been dreaming, and if you woke up to find me like this you'd…"

Vash shook his head, not finding quite the right words to tell her what he'd been wanting to say all this time.

Meryl, seeing this, thought that he was dismissing her excuse, she shouldn't have been there in the first place. She turned her gaze further away, deciding that not matter what he thought of her, she had to tell him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" she sighed, this was getting her nowhere, and fast. Biting her lip, she decided to just have out with it. Turning to face him once more, though keeping her eyes closed, she began to say what her heart had been screaming all this time. "Vash, there's something I have to tell you. I know you could never possibly… but, you should know that I… I… I…"

She tried to say it, she really did. She wanted nothing better than to say it out loud and be done with it, done with the way the words tried to break free anytime he was around. The only problem was, Meryl was finding it exceedingly difficult to speak at the moment. Giving up altogether, Meryl decided that if Vash was going to kiss her while she tried to tell him something important she'd just have to go along with it. 

Vash still wasn't quite sure why he'd chosen that particular moment to kiss her, especially since he had the feeling that she had been trying to tell him something important, but he decided he'd deal with that later. Right now, he was going to kiss the girl of his dreams and may god help anyone who tried to tell him otherwise. Fortunately, nothing bothered to interrupt the two at that moment, and subsequently Vash was pleasantly surprised a second later when Meryl circled her arms around his neck and began to kiss him back.

After a bit Meryl pulled back, needing to breathe, and somehow managed an expression that was somewhere between a pout and a smile.

Vash smirked, he knew what she was thinking, and he also had another thought completely his own. _God she's cute when she does that…_

"You didn't let me finish," Meryl said, fully intending to finish what she had been trying to say before Vash had, er… 'interrupted' her. "I was going to say that I- mph!"

He did it again. At this rate she was never going to tell him. Slightly annoyed, but in the best way imaginable, Meryl pushed him away. "Stop that!" she said, punctuating the words with a gentle poke to his shoulder while she tried to muster up a glare through the smile that was currently gracing her face.

Vash just laughed at her attempted ferocity. "Fine" he smirked, deciding he'd just have to try something else to distract her this time. Not that he didn't want to hear what she was trying to tell him, it's just that he thought it was lots of fun to distract her in such 'interesting' ways, as it seemed to produce such irresistible reactions from her.

She glared at him, having seen that happy 'I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about' look in his eyes, and decided she'd just have to do something to exact her revenge. "Alright then, I won't tell you," she said mockingly. With that, she began to get up, but was once again impaired by a pair of strong hands pulling her back down under the covers.

"And where are you going this time?" My, but he was enjoying this.

"To see if Millie's back yet" she lied. Actually, she had other plans…

Vash snorted, "Sure, so does that mean you **didn't** hear her come and check on us before when you were so obviously awake?" To tell the truth, he was bluffing. While Vash _had _been awake to see Millie come in, he hadn't thought at the time that Meryl was awake, but he had figured out by now that every time he thought she was asleep, she wasn't.

Meryl's jaw dropped, "You knew I was awake?? How? And why didn't you say something then?"

Vash smiled, "Actually, I was just guessing." Oh, she was mad now, _and I thought she was cute before…_

Meryl growled, "Moron."

"Hey… now that wasn't very nice!" He pouted, "Is name calling really necessary?"

Meryl smiled, "Oh but it is. Because, you, Vash the Stampede, are a moron for not seeing through me sooner. Everyone else noticed you know."

Vash looked at her quizzically, now he was confused. "What exactly was I supposed to notice?" he questioned cautiously, not knowing what the fiery woman would do next.

Meryl yawned, she had him now. "Isn't it obvious? I mean, you are a _famous_ outlaw… I'm sure _you _could've figured it out easily enough on your own. Or do _I_ have to tell you…"

"Meryl…" he warned, she was mocking him and as enticing as it was…

"…that I'm in love with you, Vash the Stampede" she finished triumphantly. There, she had said it without him being able to stop her. 

Vash's jaw hit the floor, while he had figured out by now that Meryl had some sort of feelings for him, that last kiss was proof of that, it still hadn't quite registered that she may in fact love him, just as he loved her. "You do?" he said, his voice almost a whisper now, afraid that he had misheard that last statement.

Meryl smiled, "Yes," she repeated. "I love you Vash."

Vash grinned a smile so big that it would have stunned Wolfwood with the sheer truthful happiness that it contained. "You know, for a while there I thought you hated me…" he began.

Meryl just shook her head, "You see? You are a moro-"

He kissed her again, wanting her silenced so he could finish what he had started. Pulling back just enough to break the kiss, but close enough so that he could feel her breath on his lips, "…but now I know better. And… I love you too, Meryl Stryfe."

Meryl smiled, hearing the words she had never though Vash would utter. Still, she couldn't help but take one last shot at him. "I bet you say that to all the Insurance Girls sent to follow you around 24 hours a day."

Vash laughed, "You're right. Every time I meet a new Insurance Girl I say 'I love you Meryl Stryfe'. Must be why they kept running away… I've never met one actually named Meryl before."

Meryl couldn't help but laugh along with him, but still… "Moron."

Vash grinned just before he kissed her again, but this time was different than the last. This time he let all of the love he had felt for her for so long be expressed by this one simple kiss. He had thought for so long that he'd never get this chance, and now that he had it, he wasn't about to let go.

Meryl could feel the difference, and kissed him back with equal passion, and for the first time they realized that they had been suffering from the same pain and longing all this time. After an eternity, they broke, needing to breathe once more, and Meryl took the opportunity to snuggle back into his arms, resting her head on his chest, content with going back to sleep, as it was still dark out.

Vash smiled, "So does this mean you're not going to check up on Millie?" The only answer he got was a small shake of her head as she tightened her arms around him, never wanting to have to get out of bed again. Vash grinned once more and wrapped his arms around her small form just as tightly, deciding that if he never had to let go of his Insurance Girl it'd be too soon. He yawned, sleep finally catching back up to him now that he was happy and content with her in his arms, "I love you Meryl" he whispered just as he was drifting off into peaceful slumber.

"I love you too Vash" was her only reply…

THE END

A/N: I'm **so** happy! It's finally finished!! Rejoice! For there shall be no more!! ::does happy dance with Vash:: Well, I might eventually add an epilogue for when they finally decide to wake up in the morning, but only if people really seem to want me to. ^_^x Either way…. It's over!!! YAY! Still, please please PLEASE review! I would be ever so grateful if you did!


End file.
